Testing, 1, 2…

Actual California Standards Test Release Questions

We finished Day 2 of testing today.  Day 2 was much better than Day 1 when my well prepared students seemed like they’d been sucker-punched, even though we’d spent the whole year covering the material (antonyms, synonyms, word usage, phonics, syllabification, reading comprehension, etc.).  And we’d spent the whole year doing a bit of test prep everyday to accustom the students to the format of the questions.  AND we’d spent the past week in a sort of test prep boot camp churning through all the state release questions (like the ones above).

What is it about tests?  Is it the pressure of high-stakes testing that makes these able students forget how to break ‘computer’ into syllables?

(DISCLAIMER: This is not an actual test question.  Were it an actual test question I could be prosecuted because I, like every teacher in California, signed an affidavit affirming that I would not discuss, disseminate, or display any actual test questions in any way, shape, or form).

How could Sebastian, Anna, and even–LUKE!!–my brightest three students syllabify it com-puter?  Kids who, like most of the class, ACED the practice exam and the release questions JUST LAST WEEK!

What’s the explanation for this?!!!!

Help!  I honestly don’t know.